In a boisterous dining room on a Thursday night at Urbano Café, a sea of crystal marks a large table of diners working their way through a variety of wines, while across the room a woman celebrates her 40th with the girls. The celebrants have even more wine, and every…
Almost two years ago, when I was deciding whether or not I wanted to move to Dallas and devote my life to writing about burgers and Reuben sandwiches, I sat in my old office in Falls Church, Virginia, and looked at Google maps. I’ve been fascinated with maps since I…
While eating at Urbano Cafe, the subject of this week’s review, I had a hard time figuring out the menu. A pasta Bolognese and other dishes point to Italian cooking, but an evening special touted pork belly and Vietnamese honey. This odd sort of fusion is something I wouldn’t expect…
Last night, the Dallas chapter of the Slow Food group met at Craft and Growler, the hip new beer dispensary that opened in Fair Park six months ago. This was the first meeting for the group with Liz Goulding, a young, small and very determined food nerd at the helm…
Belly and Trumpet opened this February in Uptown, creating a stir with its fresh take on small plates. Oak owners Richard and Tiffanee Ellman partnered with John Paul Valverde last year, when they opened The Bowery, an upscale hot dog restaurant that belly flopped. The team kept the Belly, added…
It was just over a year ago that Whataburger announced what turned out to be the temporary demise of its popular Spicy Ketchup. The company held a contest to give away the last case of the oh-so-slightly piquant condiment, under the guise that we might never see it again. See…
It’s hard not to notice when you get to the office and there’s a pink piñata in the shape of a pig sitting on your desk. The massive piece of swag was dropped off to announce Chipotle’s new margaritas featuring Patrón tequila. Margaritas are nothing new at Chipotle — they’ve…
Do you juice? Apparently more people do every day. The industry is growing at an incredible clip, anchored by New York and Los Angeles, the two cities credited with starting the whole trend. Here in Dallas, juicing hasn’t quite become the lifestyle it has out on the coasts, but the…
Hypnotic Donuts will begin offering vegan doughnuts, according to a news release they sent out this morning. The new doughnuts are apparently the product of nearly six months of work testing out recipes to find the best way to make doughnuts without eggs or dairy. For now, the doughnuts will…
I’m obsessed with parsley. Not that curly-leafed bullshit sitting next to your petite filet, I’m talking about the flat-leaf variety that’s known for its tender texture and sweeter flavor. If you get some fresh from the farmers market you’ll notice a much more robust flavor than the grocery store varieties…
So cheese week happened. We’ve filled City of Ate with so much cheese news we looked like a full -on cheese blog. Even ol’ Lee Harvey up in the header there is eating cheese. This week we ran a porny slide show devoted to some of the better cheese boards…
I first noticed them on a salad at Urbano Café: smaller, bright crimson tomatoes that exploded with flavor in my mouth. These weren’t the cottony, faded-red orbs I’ve been eating since last November. They tasted like the summer to come. If you’re a tomato freak you’ve likely noticed it too…
Oh, Budweiser. It’s come to this? News of your new bow-tie-shaped beer can certainly got a lot of people’s attention, but I’m not sure it’s the right kind — the whole Internet is laughing at you. You had a good thing in that classic red, white and blue can, and…
Last Year’s Iron Fork was a lot of fun, and as new restaurants step forward to participate in this year’s event, I’m only getting more excited. In addition to securing the Dallas Contemporary, a bad-ass space with lots of room to move around, we’re getting some really great eats. You…
The FDA recently held a shipment of Mimolette, an aged French cheese that has been shipped to America for decades. The cheese has a round, wrinkled and tough exterior hiding a bright orange center. Fans compare it visually to cantaloupe. The FDA hold on the 1,100 pound shipment means it…
Two weeks ago we told you that the original Snuffer’s was no more. Earlier today Instagram (which has been proven to be marginally more accurate at breaking news than CNN) reports that it is gone. See also: Snuffer’s to Rebuild Iconic Greenville Location Instagram user Doylerader posted this photo to…
Editor’s note: Last year we published an instructive blog post detailing the various stages queso exhibits as it emerges from the kitchen and sits on your table. Since it’s cheese week, and queso is the greatest cheese dish in the history of ever, we decided it was a good time…
Jeana Johnson and Colleen O’Hare have announced the opening date of their much anticipated Vietnamese concept. Mot Hai Ba will open next Tuesday, serving a blend of North Vietnamese cooking including a selection of street foods that may just be perfect for snacking. See also: An Open Letter to Mot…
Surely you’ve asked the question while eating funky cheeses with friends. “Are we supposed to eat the rind or not?” Unless you’re surrounded by a bunch of cheese nerds, the answers that come back likely have as many holes as a cartoonish slice of Swiss. Even with the mild rind…
If you got to the White Rock Local Market at 9 a.m. you were already too late. A few bunches of chubby carrots and just 3 pounds of asparagus disappeared in an instant. The signs of the coming season are just beginning to awaken and only the early birds take…
Occasionally there is ramen served in Oak Cliff. It’s ladled into disposable bowls in an English pub after the other neighborhood restaurants have locked their doors. Ten Bells Tavern has a reputation for well-executed riffs on bar food classics with an Anglophile slant. Ramen doesn’t quite fit into the mold…
As Lance Lynn and I wrapped up our cheese tasting at Scardello, I asked him to show me one more product. “Give me something that’s a little scary,” I asked. I was looking for a cheese that was as far away from the mass-produced slices we all grew up on…
